Volunteer Story

A letter from a mentee about his mentor ...
I have been meeting with Mr. Richard for the past year at my school. We have lunch together on Wednesdays. He is a good listener and I sometimes feel like I can tell him anything. He has become like a grandpa to me. He is also a friend to me. He helps me with my school work. He is a very smart man. I like to invent things, he gives me great ideas to help make my inventions better. He is a good storyteller and a very funny person. One time he told me a story about a chicken getting its beak stuck in a pole in a tornado and all its feathers came off. Some say he is still there trying to get his beak out of the pole. “Help! Help! My beak is stuck in a pole!”

Richard Huckaby’s Mentee

P.S. He’s COOL!

Cal and Judy Hanson, Mentors who make a difference
by Amy Uphoff, Campus Manager at Tomás Rivera Elementary School
Tomás Rivera Elementary is so blessed to have Cal and Judy Hansen as mentors. Last year, Judy started helping a kindergarten student learn her alphabet and soon realized that she wanted to help this student each week. They spent the year working together on the alphabet and by the end of the school year the child was excelling in her letters. We were happy to see her return this year to begin helping her student conquer her first grade work. After a couple of good months together, her student moved to a different town. Judy decided that she wanted to be matched up with another student immedialty so she could continue giving hope to students who were struggling. She is now working with a little boy in second grade. Judy has such a postive energy that surrounds her that her student looks for the best in himself.

I am very excited to welcome Judy's husband, Cal, to our mentoring program. Cal was matched up with a little boy in first grade who was struggling with his academics. Each week they meet in the library and work on reading or writing. Cal also serves as a wonderful male role model to this student. His student lacks male figures in his life so Cal is able to provide positive encouragement to the student. The student loves visiting with him each week and looks forward to their next time together.

Both of these mentors give such hope and postitive feedback to their students. They share in their joys and encourage them to try their best in school. We are very lucky to have such dedicate and postive role models working with our students here at Rivera.

Kathy Warren, Nurturing Nature
by Heather Green, Campus Manager at Roanoke Elementary School
The volunteer of the month is Kathy Warren! Kathy is a dedicated volunteer who has been involved with CIS for two years. She meets individually with three fourth grade students twice a week to work on their academic needs. Having two grandchildren of her own, her nurturing nature is an added bonus that many of these children are missing from their every day routine. We have seen progress from these children which is a direct reflection of Kathy's diligence and these students' determination.